Of Potions and Curses
by April.Smithint
Summary: After the death of her mother, Regina once again was left to fend for her self all alone. The only love of her life, Henry couldn't give her the time of the day. She then decides to take back all that was hers. She decides to take back Henry. What happens when she gets a love struck Savior instead? SWAN QUEEN.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: The story is set two weeks after Cora's death. Snow has already bounced back from her grief and every thing else pretty calm. Here after MOST of the storyline will be my creation.**

**DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me. They are ABC's creation.**  
**This story depicts love between two women. If it disgusts you, please do not read.**  
****************************************************************************************************************************

** Chapter 1**

Once again everything had slipped out of her grasp. Snow had once again come through to destroy the one thing that she held dear. Her relationship with Henry. Every tragedy that had occurred in her life had been caused by Snow and now her spawn. She had tried, really tried. She had given up magic for Henry's sake and had trusted Emma to do right by her. At least that much was warranted after Regina had ingested the death curse at the well to bring Emma and Snow back. She didn't have to do it, she could have easily pretended that curse was too strong for her to lift, but she had done it because she wanted to make Henry happy and out of the goodness of her heart.  
Regina laughed wryly at the last. 'Goodness of her heart', yeah that one was bullshit. 'But that only goes to prove that I was trying my best to be good doesn't it?' And what did she get for her efforts? Being snubbed by Henry, being at the mercy of the saviour to spend time with her son, like she was a bad mother, and being accused of murder that was committed by her mother. And then, two weeks ago, Snow had done something so vicious, so sleazy, that even the slimy imp (yeah, that would be rumplestiltskin), was looking good now as compared to miss 'Fairest of them all'.

Granted Cora had to be stopped, but making someone kill their own mother is pure evil no matter how you see it. And then Emma had bought the imp's son back to town who was also Henry's father. Why her son's family tree had to be comprised of the two people she hated the most was beyond her. But it didn't make her love Henry any less. It only made her hate Snow and Rumple even more. And watching Henry with Baelfire a.k.a Neal was just the cherry on the was time that she took all of it back and she had just the thing brewing in a flask right now, that could make it happen. She held a finger over the flask and pricked it with a needle, causing a drop of blood to ooze out and trickle into the flask. The contents of the flask immediately changed color and the liquid turned into a shade of bright pink.

"All I have to do now is give this to the right person." Regina carried the flask into her kitchen and set about making her famous apple tart, one of its ingredients being the pink potion.

Regina was waiting outside Emma's apartment loft for over thirty minutes now. Apparently no one was home and she was getting more and more impatient by the minute. She was about to leave when Neal and Henry made their way towards her, one of Neal's hand swung over Henry's shoulder. This just caused former mayor's ire to hit a new notch but she reigned it in for Henry's benefit.

"Regina, what are you doing here?" Neal asked suspiciously, his brows furrowing even as he spoke.

The brunette ignored him and bend down to Henry's level to speak to him.

"Hey Henry, how was school?"

"Good, I guess. As good as it can be when your grams is your class teacher." Henry shrugged.

Regina gave a tight lipped smile at the mention of Snow but ignored that as well. She cast a quick glance at Neal and again directed her question to Henry. "uh. . . Where is miss Swan, I thought she was supposed to pick you up from school? And where have you been? I have been waiting for half an hour for you."

"she couldn't come because of work so she send dad. Then dad took me to the park. Sorry we made you wait."

Now Regina was on an edge. All her visits with Henry were always chaperoned by either Emma or one of the Charmings. But now this. . . this junior imp got exclusive access to her son, Her son. Why? Cause he was the sperm donor? Ten years, he had abandoned Henry for ten years, and all of a sudden he was the better parent? Regina swore the Charmings could be selectively blind when it came to hurting her. This just reinforced her decision and she held out the apple tart she had made.

"Um. . I bought you my apple tart. I hope you'll like it."

"Thanks,"Henry fidgeted around a bit and Neal stared down at the brunette. It was clear to Regina that she wasn't wanted. So she made an excuse and left the 'father and son' to their own devices. Leaving Henry it was easier this time since she knew it wont be long before she had Henry all to herself.

*****************************************************************************************************************************  
"Oh common Emma, just give me a break," Leroy pleaded even as he was shoved into the jail cell by the sheriff.

"I'll give you a break the day you take a break from drinking. Now shut up and stop whining."

The janitor just pouted. This would have been cute on any one of his six brothers, but him being who he was, the pout just had the opposite effect on the blonde.

"Ooh, Leroy you're a charmer aren't you." Leroy just grinned at the blonde and settled into the jail cot. Emma locked up for the night and headed home.

By the time the sheriff got home, Henry was already asleep. Mary Margaret was still up though, reading a book in the living room. On hearing the front door open, Mary Margaret looked up to find her daughter trying to tip toe into the house.

"You are late."

Emma stopped dead in her tracks and slowly lifted her head to see the brunette watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"I. . .uh I. . . it.."

"Oh calm down, I am just kidding with you," Snow ensured her with a smile. "How was your day, honey?"

"Long," Emma replied with a tired smile of her own. "Had to lock up Leroy again."

"What, destruction of peace and assault on the bartender again?" the brunette asked in a dry tone.

"That and indecent exposure."

Mary Margaret's jaw hung open. "What did he do?"

"Long story, I'll tell you tomorrow. . . . Um, you know you don't have to wait up for me don't you?"

"I know. I also know that we have a weird relation ship but I am still your mother, and I worry."

"I am home now, so you can go back to bed."

"Yes, well goodnight then."

"Goodnight."

Snow was already halfway up the staircase when Emma spoke again. "Mary Margaret, is there any thing for me to eat?"

"Check in the fridge," Snow called out over her shoulders as she disappeared into her bedroom. Emma bounded into the kitchen space and looked into the fridge for her options.

"Hmmm. . . Tough decision. Vegetables or dessert. What do I eat?" Emma smirked to herself and bought out the dish. "Hello dessert! I think you'll do just fine."  
*****************************************************************************************************************************

It was seven in the morning when Regina heard her doorbell chime throughout the house. Fortunately the former mayor was a early riser, which meant that she was already dressed and ready by then. She smiled to herself. When Henry hadn't been at her door step even hours after her visit, she had lost hope and had concluded that he had probably thrown away the apple tart. Now she felt differently. The time and the apparent urgency of the visitor had certainly heightened her curiosity.

With a smile on her face, Regina opened the door, which quickly morphed into a scowl when she was presented with Emma Swan's annoying self at her doorstep. Her immediate thought had been that something had happened to Henry and she was about to make inquiries accordingly when she noticed a goofy smile on Emma face and also the hundred-dollar bouquet of red roses clutched in her hand. The brunette's mind immediately ran in the opposite direction. Suspicion.

"What are you doing here miss Swan? Seven in the morning is hardly an appropriate time to call someone. Much less visit them."

"I. . uh. . . . I um. . . ,"

Emma flustered like a dork and then realizing she had a bouquet, thrust the roses towards the brunette. "These are for you."

Regina glared at the flowers for a whole minute, willing them to wilt away, before she reluctantly accepted them. "Now miss Swan, the reason for your impromptu and highly unappreciated visit?"

A deep red tinged the corners of the blonde's ears as she once again flustered around her words. And after about fifteen seconds of flustering and stammering, Regina lost it. "Spit it out swan," she demanded.

"I Love You."

"WHAT!?"

"I am in love with you Regina."

*****************************************************************************************************************************  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Those who have guessed what the pink potion does, my version of the 'pink potion' doesn't require a heart.


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: some profanity is used in this chapter.**

-  
"WHAT!?"

"I am in love with you Regina."

No sooner had the savior uttered those words, than the door slammed inches away from her face, Regina hidden safely behind the closed-door. The hinges had stopped shaking by the time the blonde finally blinked out of her stupor. The former mayor still leaning against the door on the other side was coming out of a similar stupor. She felt an uncharacteristic flutter in her stomach and a strange lightening of the heart for the briefest of moments before it was quickly overshadowed by an onslaught of emotions ranging from confusion to suspicion to anger.

"Regina. . . .?"

Regina heard the tentative call, followed by three short raps on the wooden door.

'No, no, no. . . . This is not happening, this is not happening,' Regina religiously repeated to herself, her eyes shut tight and a finger in each ear, trying to unsee and unhear everything that had happened outside her front door. Just when she thought that Emma had gone away or better yet everything had been one of those weird dreams, the door shook once again with the impact of Emma's fist.

"Open up Regina. You know I can hear you ranting to yourself through the door, right?" Emma tried reasoning with the brunette, a little louder this time. "Regina, look I am not leaving until you open the door. I 'll set up camp in your lawn if I have to. I love you Regina, I really do. I feel like shouting out to the whole world that I am in love with the most beauti. . . . ."

The blonde's passionate declaration was cut short at the sight of an irate looking Regina standing stiff at the door. "You'll do no such thing miss Swan," and with a wave of her hand she transported both of them into her study. Once the purple fog cleared, Regina ordered Emma to sit which the latter promptly did.

"Now miss Swan," Regina asked calmly, standing in front of the seated woman. She needed to figure out Emma's motive. "What do you mean by this shenanigan?"

Emma looked genuinely hurt. "I love you Regina," she answered, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Will you stop saying that?" Regina snapped at the blonde and started pacing around the room.

"why? Love is the most beautiful thing in the world. I'll say it a thousand times more only to make you believe," Emma replied confidently.

"I don't know what your angle is miss Swan, but you must realize how ridiculous you sound. You sound like your worthless parents, and even they would, for lack of a better term, gag at your display. God! They will think I put a spell on you. . . . . . ." Regina stopped abruptly and slowly turned towards the seated woman, her mind wheels already in motion.

"Miss Swan, may I ask what you ate throughout the day yesterday?"

"why?"

"Just humor me, please."

"Um. . . I had a twinkie for breakfast, burger and fries for lunch at work and an apple tart for dinner."

"WHAT?!" "Okay, okay I know I should eat healthy and. . . ."

"Oh Heavens!" If Regina had been a petulant child, she would have jumped around indignantly. She didn't though, because she was the Evil Queen, and Evil Queens don't jump around indignantly. But she could curse (both literally and verbally), and curse she did. 'why, oh why. . . God damn it. . . . Fucking apple tarts. . . . Why on earth would Emma eat the tart, and why didn't Henry eat that fucking tart. He did last time when clearly he shouldn't have. I had specially baked that one for Emma. Ugh. . . . Hell, I am getting a headache now.'

"That also explains her unusually asinine behavior."

"Whose behavior?" Emma asked adorably. Realizing that she had muttered the last part of her internal dialogue, the brunette answered with a terse "no one you need to bother about," and once again started pacing the room silently. Regina understood that the damage was done. Now she had to control the damage as well as the situation.

"Uh. . . . Emma, who else knows that you. . . . . . love me?" Regina asked with great hesitation.

The woman in question just sighed and an adorable grin split her face from ear to ear. 'She called me Emma.' The blonde would have stayed in that euphoria trance if it wasn't for her beloved calling out her name once again.

"Emma, would you answer the question please."

"Um. . . . no one. I realized I love you just last night," Emma explained, causing Regina to involuntarily cringe at the 'L' word. "It was already late then. And I wanted to see you first thing this morning, so here I am."

"Yes, yes, here you are. Now listen Emma, I want you to not tell this to anybody, okay?" Regina instructed the savior patiently, just like a mother would instruct a child. Emma's face immediately crunched up, looking absolutely heart-broken.

"You are ashamed of my love for you?"

Regina knew that she needed to keep the blonde calm, happy and on her side, and for that she had to give an answer that was to Emma's liking. She expertly ignored the very small part of her conscience that suggested that maybe she actually wanted to please the love struck woman.

"No, it's more of a safety precaution. We don't know how people will react to the news."

"Yeah, that's true." Emma agreed readily. One of the few side effects of a Love potion was that a person became extremely gullible after ingesting it.

"Yes, so now you go and be a sheriff and do not mention this visit to anyone. Alright?"

Emma nodded once in comprehension and got up to leave. Just before she was about to cross the threshold, she turned and demurely posed a question to the other woman. "Regina, I know you don't love of yet, but would you like to go on a date with me?"

Regina's answer was instant and without hesitation. "NO! I can't. . . No." How ever she regretted her words once she noticed the blonde looking hurt and absolutely embarrassed. "You see, I am entirely busy through out this week."

"Doing what?" Emma asked genuinely.

"Um. . . Doing things that ex mayors do. You know, little knicks and knacks to properly hand over my duties."

"Oh, okay. Good day Regina," and with that the savior quietly left, muttering a gentle "I love you" as she closed the door.

"Good heavens!" Regina sighed once the mansion was back to its solitary quite. "what do I do now?" There was only one person who could help her. Gold.

**Got any suggestions as to what could happen next?**


	3. Chapter 3

The shop bell tingled, alarming the owner of the arrival of a new customer.

"Ah, your majesty, what brings you here this fine day?" Rumple enquired as he gently put back the chipped cup in its show case.

Regina walked around the shop, fingering the various artifacts that had been sitting there for almost three decades collecting dust. "I am in need of a spell. A hatred spell, to be precise," she replied in her ever regal manner, even though she looked slightly distracted.

"If you don't mind me asking your majesty, whatever do you need it for?" Rumple asked with a raised brow.

Regina detected a hint of something in the seemingly innocent question, but failed to decipher it.  
"Never you mind, Rumple. Now, if it's all the same to you, I am in a hurry."

"Hmmm, as you wish." Gold rooted through the cupboard and pulled out a vile of dark liquid, with a tag attached to its neck. "Here you go dearie. Now you remember, all magic comes with a price"

The brunette glanced up at her former teacher as for a moment, she was reminded of all the times Rumple had warned her similarly against the indiscriminate use of magic, but she hadn't realized the gravity of it then. Again she felt something more lingering behind his words, but she dismissed it as her imagination, borne out of years of hatred and suspicion towards this man.

"What do you need to break this spell?" Regina asked as she gently rolled the vile between her long fingers. "What else, other than true love's kiss."

"There is no other way? And how many curses and spells can true love's kiss break anyway?"

"No, there is no other way," Rumple answered in the negative. "It'd be too easy if there was, don't you think. And for your other question, true love is one of the purest forms of magic, second only to innocence. It can break almost every kind of curse known to us."

"What kinds do you know of?"

"Um. . . Lets see, there's the sleeping curse and the dark curse. You are well acquainted with them. Then there is the memory spell and. . ."

"What about the love spell?" the former mayor interrupted a touch more impatiently than she intended.

"Ah, well that too."

"And you are sure there is no other way?"

"Positive."

If it had been anyone else, he would have missed the slight frustration that adorned the former mayor's countenance for that one moment. But the dark one had witnessed every facial twitch that marred the air of casual indifference carefully perfected over the years by the brunette.

"Well what do I owe you for the hatred potion?"

"Nothing."

Regina's eyebrow's rose skeptically at the answer. It was too good to be true and she had learned a long time ago never to accept things at their face value when it came to the dark one."But surely there is something you want, Rumple."

"No, I wont charge you for the potion," the shopkeeper assured. "However, I will charge you for the answers that you seek."

Regina eye's went wide for a second before they narrowed in anger. "What do you mean?"

"Now don't play coy dearie. You know exactly what I mean. You should remember that I can see things."

The brunette realized it was no use denying anything. She was in dire need of a solution before the Charmings, or most importantly, Henry found out about the accident. "What else do you know?"

"There are few more things I am aware of that I think you would like to know. I will give you answers but I need to know that you will deliver your end of the bargain."

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing much dearie. Just one drop of your tear, borne out of true emotion."

"True emotion?"

"Yes, you see, I have no use for your theatrical tears. I need genuine, emotion filled tears."

"How do I do that?" Regina asked irritably.

"Oh I don't know, think of something tragic."

Regina scowled at the flippant answer, but heeded to his suggestion. She closed her eyes and forced her mind all those years back when Daniel had died in her arms and that one phrase - "love is weakness" had changed her life forever. Her jaws clenched at the image of her mother looming over Daniel, his heart in her hands. Then her mind shifted to all those years she had spent married to King Leopold. All those nights of non-consensual sex that she had been too powerless to resist before Rumple and magic. All those days spent locked in her room which however did not excuse her from the king's unwanted attention at nights. Her jaws clenched even tighter and her hands were balled into fists. She had spent so much time to suppressing her sorrow in favour of her anger, that even now the tragic events only invoked and fueled her ire. "It is not working," she spat out through her clenched teeth.

"Oh well, I think, you are in need of a different medicine. Try again." Regina started to protest against the fruitless endeavour, but was quickly silenced. "But this time, think happy thoughts. Really happy ones."

Regina huffed angrily but closed her eyes once again. Once again her mind traveled years back, but this time, she remembered the evening she was engaged to Daniel. Her ring nothing but a piece of thread. Then her mind fast tracked to years later, at the beginning of the curse when a travelling little boy had offered her candy at the diner. That had been the only kind act directed towards her in a very long time. By this time a small smile had begun to play at the edge of her lips, which only grew when she remembered the day when she first held Henry in her arms, or the day when he spoke his first word, 'ma'ma'. A happy sob tore through her lips remembering how relieved and overjoyed she had been when Emma had finally rescued her precious son from the mines.

Thinking of Emma bought a few other memories to the forefront of her mind, all featuring the savior. Like the time Emma had believed that she could redeem herself, or when she had climbed out of the well and Henry's happiness had been almost palpable. She wanted to stop now, but a final memory of the saviour at her door step with a bouquet of roses and an exuberant smile forced its way in before she could open her eyes. A single tear fell from her eyes and coursed down her cheeks before finding a home in a glass vial that Rumple held just below her face.

"Ah, that should do it." Rumple corked the vile and put it among the various other vials in his cupboard. Regina waited patiently. She knew she didn't need to ask, because the dark one never backed down from a deal. He always delivered.

"Your solution is right in this town."

"What do you mean?"

"Only her true love can break this spell. What I meant was her true love is in the town."

Regina felt an unexpected twinge of irritation at the thought of Emma's true love being in town, clearly having an idea as to who that person might be.

"I assume it's Neal."

"That would have been my first guess, but no, it isn't Bae."

"Them who is it?" The brunette asked already going through the list of available men in Storybrooke. "Don't tell me it's Leroy," she added dryly.

The shop owner laughed. "No. No, it's not Leroy, though by the amount of time Emma spends arresting him, it doesn't seem all that impossible does it. But you are looking at it the wrong way."

The former mayor was growing tired of asking him what he meant, so she simply raised a brow in a silent question.

"I don't know how it will affect your search but her true love is no man. It's a woman." Regina was mildly surprised but not shocked at the revelation. Somehow Emma didn't seem like a woman who was waiting around for her prince charming, so to speak. She was not some damsel who needed to be rescued and most definitely no man's bitch. However this little tit-bit was only going to create more problems. For one, the list of available women was much longer than that of available men. Secondly women were far better at hiding there emotions than men. She realized she needed a little more to go by, and she knew that Rumple wouldn't be forthcoming with the information. Nevertheless, she had to try.

"You have no idea who that woman might be?" She asked cautiously.

"I do have my doubts," Gold conceded. "But I am not telling."

On the way home, Regina drew up a list of candidates who could possibly be Emma's true love.  
'Hmmm, lets see. I should probably start with Ruby. The dog and Miss Swan seem to be close friends. Next we have Belle; granted she's with Gold, but she might be harboring a secret crush on the savior. And moreover, her relationship with Gold is a joke. Nobody loves a monster. Ask me, I should know.'Regina drove past the Sheriff's station and quick glance through the window to catch a glimpse of the saviour. No such luck.

'Then there is Blue. She has been a dear friend of the Charmings for years. She may be centuries old, but she hasn't aged a day past her prime. And while we are on Blue, lets not forget the nunnery full of fairies. I bet they would give up their wings to spend a day with the all mighty saviour. Okay that's an exaggeration, but you get my point.'

The former mayor continued to drive for a few minutes silently before she caught sight of Ariel walking down the pavement as she drove into her driveway. "Oh, I wonder if she has broken up with prince. . . . . ah what was his name. . . . well never mind. I sure don't see them together much." Regina was so engrossed in her thoughts, that she didn't notice the tall figure bending over in front of her door and barreled right into the figure.

"What in the. . . . who the h. . . . Miss Swan?"  
The unexpected visitor caught the brunette by surprise. She was baffled enough to not register the close proximity of the saviour or the slightly muscular arm that she had clutched onto for support.

Emma on the other hand was very aware of everything. Her eyes had zeroed in on the ruby tinted, perfectly sculpted lips, the experience enhanced by manicured nails digging lightly into her biceps and Regina's breath on her skin. 'My God, she smells like spices. She smells good enough to eat.' Emma smirked internally at the thought.

"Miss Swan," Regina asked, as she took a step back from the completely enamoured woman. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be running around town, chasing Dr. Hopper's dog or something?" "I. . . uh, it's lunch time." "Fine. But that doesn't explain why you'd be at my house."

Emma looked back over her shoulder, making the other woman follow her gaze. There in front of her door stood a fresh bouquet of flowers. The arrangement wasn't very eloquent, but beautiful in its simplicity. A bunch of white irises dotted with a single red rose in the center.

"I bought you flowers."

The former mayor looked on, not sure what to make of the woman in front of her. Emma, getting anxious by the minute, finally decided to break the silence.

"Uh. . . Regina, I know you'll be busy throughout the week, but I was wondering if you'd like to have breakfast with me tomorrow at granny's."

Regina was on the verge of answering in the negative when she paused to review her decision. 'Ruby would be there. No better time to study her attitude around Emma. Hmmm...'

"I'll bring Henry along," the blonde added to sweeten the deal.

'And sold!' "Fine, Miss Swan. Tomorrow at seven. Don't be late."

"Isn't that a little too earl. . . "Emma started.

One dark brow shot up as tan arms folded over a silk dress shirt.

"Seven, right."

"Goodbye, Miss Swan,"

Regina said as she picked up the bouquet and moved into the mansion, gently closing the door behind her. Emma smiled brightly and walked back to her car, whistling all the way.

Regina placed the bouquet on the coffee table and noticed a card peeking out from the arrangement.

"I know there's still love in your heart somewhere for someone other than Henry. And even it's just a small part of your heart today, if I have any say in it, the love will only grow day by day. I just hope you'll open yourself to it.

Love, Emma"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I really did forget Ariel's boyfriend's name. :P

And hey, just because I don't ask, it doesn't mean you don't have to. Feel free to drop a few words anytime.


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on, come. . .on, get up."

A single brown eye peeked from under the covers, then quickly slid back in, refusing to rise so early.

"Go away, let me sleep."

Emma pulled at the blanket trying to rouse her son, but the blanket failed to budge. Seeing that her usual methods weren't working, she called upon her super weapon that she saved for dire situations such as this.

"Okay buddy, I see you won't have it easy. Fine with me." Having said that, the saviour jumped unto the twin bed and started tickling the poor boy with all her might. Henry threw back the covers and tried to squirm away from his mother's grasp, only to have his sides a little more exposed to his attacker's wiggling fingers. Finally tired, he gave up the fight, realizing that staying in bed will not only be impossible but also futile.

"Okay, okay. I am up, I am up," the boy declared, still having a hard time at keeping his eyes open.

"Okay champ, go wash up and get dressed. We are going out for breakfast."

"At Granny's, right?" €"Where else."

"Um, then can't we go a little later? They serve breakfast untill nine and it's," he glanced at the digital watch on the night stand, "Only SIX!" He announced incredulously. "God Ma, why do we need to go so early?" Henry asked, adamantly folding his arms over his little chest, the act accompanied by an expertly raised brow.

In that instance, her son looked so much like his other mother that Emma couldn't help but smile at the likeliness. For the last few days, Henry had acted more and more like Regina. But then she realized that he had always acted this way. She just never wanted to see the similarities. She had to give it to the brunette, she had done a fabulous job raising her son.

"Because I said so," the blonde answered. The adamant look on Henry's face told Emma that intimidating him wouldn't work.

"Come on, please, I have some work, and I need to leave early."

"Whats in it for me?" The boy asked, suddenly all businesslike.

"I'll get you an ice-cream after school."

Henry snorted at the deal Emma was offering. "Yeah, that would have worked if I was still living with. . . . . her," Henry demurred, not comfortable calling Regina his mom. "It won't work now when I'm having take out every other day. The complimentary dessert works just fine for me."

Emma grumbled good-naturedly under her breath. 'Damn smart kid.' "So what do you want?"

"The latest DC comic."

"All right then," she agreed amiably. "Now get ready, we need to leave in ten."

* * *

When she walked into the diner, Regina hadn't expected to see any sign of her son or his birth mother for at least another half and hour. She was, however, pleasantly surprised when she found a very enthusiastic Emma, and an equally grumpy Henry waiting for her at the corner table.

"Good morning Henry, miss Swan," she greeted with a smile. €Henry just grumbled through a mouthful of french toast. Emma, however, received her with much exuberance and extended an invitation to join them for breakfast which the brunette gracefully accepted.

After a while, Ruby sauntered over to their booth.

"What would you like to order?" She asked Regina.

"Just the usual, thank you," the former mayor replied and went back trying to engage Henry in a conversation.  
"And you Emma, do you need anything else honey?" Ruby asked, laying a gentle hand on the blonde's shoulder. Her tone equally gentle.

"No thanks Rubs. Just pack some omelette for me, will you?"

Regina watched the two of them interact from the corner of her eye and scowled at the display which she felt was a little too friendly. 'Rubs, huh? Interesting.' she kept casting subtle glances towards the women as Ruby stayed a while longer, talking about mundane things with the Saviour.

After the waitress had left to fetch her order, Regina tried to dig a little deeper into the blonde's relation with the Ruby.

"So miss Swan," she began tentatively, but was interrupted by the rather ostentatious sigh from Emma.

"Would you please stop calling me 'miss Swan' for Christ's sake. I do have a first name you know. And it's Emma."

The former mayor had often referred to the saviour by her first name in her mind but never out loud. Her ingrained sense of proper etiquette hadn't allowed it. She hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to appease the woman.

"Alright Emma, I was just saying, miss Lucas seems to be a nice woman, doesn't she?"  
Emma sat there blinking. Regina talking approvingly of Ruby was so out of the blue that the sheriff was momentarily stunned into silence. "Yeah. . . . I guess so," she slowly enunciated.

"And quite attractive, if I may say so."  
Now Emma was truly  
puzzled.  
"Huh?"

"I mean look at her, she's tall, dark and pretty. Doesn't she fulfill all the criteria."

"I suppose." 'Where the hell are you going with this Regina?'

"You two seem quite close."

Emma smiled briefly at that statement though she still didn't know where Regina was going with that particular kind of conversation yet. "Yeah, besides Mary Margaret, she was my first friend in town."

Just then Paige and her father walked into the diner and occupied two of the counter seats.

" Hey mom, can I go over and talk to Paige?" Henry pleaded as soon as he saw his friend.

"Sure kid."

" Sure dear."

Both the mothers answered simultaneously and Regina belatedly realized the question wasn't directed at her. However, she was glad Henry hadn't pointed that out. It would have been humiliating. Henry just mumbled a thanks to no one in particular and bounded over to the seated girl.

'Well that was awkward.' Emma apparently hadn't missed the faux pass on Regina's part. At that precise moment Ruby walked over and placed Regina's coffee in front of her. Just when she was about to get back to work, Emma called out to her.

"Hey Rubs, how's it going with Michael?"

"Shhh," the brunette sneered. "Shut that trap of your's will you," she said as she cast a quick glance at the former mayor. "I swear Em, if word gets around you'd be as good as dead."

"Aw Ruby, you wouldn't do that, you love me too much. Besides Regina isn't the gossiping type, are you Regina?"

Regina would have taken offence at the suggestion if she hadn't been secretly interested in the conversation or the amusing blush that rose suffused the otherwise brazen werewolf. Ruby looked between the two seated women and noticed the absence of the usual tension between the Evil Queen and the savior. In fact they looked pleasantly amicable.

'Hmmm, I wonder if finally. . . .' "Hey, like I said, shut up. Michael is a good man and the last thing I want is for some busy body to twitter about it to granny. She can be worse than a gun slinging father when it comes to my love life and I don't want him to run away even before we get to know each other."

"Hmmm, and what do I get to 'keep my trap shut'?" Emma asked, looking all the world like Henry had looked just half an hour ago.

"How about this, you don't talk about Michael and I keep mum about Snow walking in on you while you were busy. . ."

"Yeah, thats a good enough incentive," Emma quickly conceded, not allowing Ruby to finish the sentence.

Regina watched the waitress saunter away with a wolfish grin playing on her lips. When Ruby was out of sight, the brunette turned her attention back to the flustered saviour.

"While you were busy doing what?"

Emma's thoughts turned to that one time when Mary Margaret had caught her in a very compromising situation. Snow, ofcourse had made a U-turn and left the room as soon as her brain caught on with her eyes, but even then the image had been permanently burned into her memory. She had avoided Emma like the plague for three days thereafter and had not made eye contact with the her for atleat another week. Needless to say, they hadn't talked about the incident, or rather accident, ever again. 'But apparently she had no qualms about talking to Ruby about it,' the blonde's mind supplied helpfuly.

"Emma?"

"Oh, um, yeah, I was busy. . . . reading a comic book." Emma cringed at her own reply. 'God Swan, that was lame. Sooo lame. Knowing Regina, she saw right through it.'

An eyebrow disappeared behind a dark lock. 'Hmmm. Why don't I believe you miss Swan.' Regina would have liked to continue on the current topic as she was clearly enjoying watching Emma blush and squirm but decided she had more important matters to take care of. "So miss Lucas is seeing Michael?"

"Hmmm, yes." 'There it is again. Why the hell is she so interested in Rubs. And since when is her royal highness interested in other people's love lives?' Then a thought hit her. 'What if she. . . . . ' The doubt that had been playing in her subconscience was now suddenly in the forefront of her brain. She knew that she couldn't let this kind of doubt fester. That couldn't be good for a budding relationship. No, she had to put her mind to rest. "Regina, do you like Ruby?" Emma asked emphasising on 'like'.

The brunette sat there for a moment, allowing the saviour's words to fully register.

"NO!" Regina answered incredulously. "Where did you get that preposterous idea?"

"Well then why all the sudden interest in Ruby and her love life?" Emma enquired though a tad bit sheepishly.

'Oh, Heavens! For all those times that I had wished she wasn't so obtuse, She chooses this moment to use her deductive faculties.' Regina realized she hadn't been all that subtle after all. Nevertheless she knew she had to come up with an explanation. "I am not interested in miss Lucas per say."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I am not interested in Ruby the person. I'm interested in the monster," the former mayor clarified and realized that it was quite true.

The sheriff tried hard not to take offence on her friends behalf. nevertheless a frown darkened her visage. The answer had somehow rubbed her the wrong way. "Regina, if you mean. . . ."

"Don't get me wrong dear, I mean no malice. It's just. . . "

"It's just what?"

"I sometimes wonder if it's possible to love a monster," Regina finished softly.

The gravity of the moment wasn't lost on Emma. She could count on one hand the number of times Regina had opened up to her, opened up to anyone like that. She tried to come up with something to say, but her mind turned up blank. 'Damn, I was never good with words.' Finally she reached up and gave a gentle squeeze to the other woman's hand accompanied with a reassuring smile.

Regina was still reeling from the after effects of her last statement. She hadn't realized what she was saying. She had revealed one of her deep-seated insecurities. She was on a mission damn it. The situation was still salvageable if only the Charming princess had ignored the statement. But the saviou had smiled, had smiled as if she understood. It was like Emma could see into her soul. She had let her vulnerability show to her. . . enemy. Emma was still the enemy, wasn't she? It was overwhelming and she felt the need to run. She tried to pull away her hand but the blonde held on. She had recognized the look in Regina's eyes. She had been the owner of that look numerous times herself. She knew all to well where the brunette's insecurities were stemming from.

"No, stay. For Henry," she requested. Their son's name seemed to do the trick. Emma watched the former mayor relax considerably and gently let go of the hand when she was sure the woman wasn't a flight risk.

"So your interest in Ruby is purely. . . . . platonic?" Emma asked with faked casualty.

Regina rolled her eye at that. "Yes miss. . . Emma. My intrigue quite borders on clinical. And besides, Miss Lucas is not my type."

"What is your type?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Emma just grinned boyishly at that and Regina felt that she was seeing the blonde for the first time. And even though her mind wouldn't let her think of it in a million years, her heart wouldn't listen to reason. 'My God! Has she always been this beautiful? Is this how she is with her friends and loved ones?' A voice told her yes, she has always been this beautiful and yes she is exactly like this with her friends and loved ones and she could have it too if only. . . The brunette slammed the door on that last thought. 'Mission. You are on a mission,' she reminded herself.

"What about you, Emma?" The brunette asked conversationally.

"What about me?"

"Do YOU like miss Lucas?"

Emma laugh. "No. No, Rubs and I are much too alike to be compatible. But she is the closest friend I had in a long, long time."  
€ Regina smiled. 'Okay so Ruby Lucas is out of the equation. Now I just have to go through the rest of the town.' She quietly finished her coffee as Emma went on blubbering until Henry joined them once again.

"Well, Emma it's been nice seeing you both here, but now I must leave you two to your breakfast."

"It was nice seeing you too Regina," Emma replied with a smile. Henry kept quite and finished the juice that he had left unattended when he went off to see his friend.

"Well Henry, I'll see you again." Regina bend down to kiss him on the cheek. The boy visibly stiffened but didn't pull away from the kiss. Regina was saddened by her son's reaction but didn't let it show. She straightened and with one last smile went out the diner door. Emma watched the brunette walk down the road through the glass window and then turned to her son with a frown.

"Hey kid, whats with the high and mighty attitude? Why were you behaving that way with Regina?" Precise and to the point. 

he kid in question sat their fidgeting with the salt and pepper shakers but did not answer.

"I asked you something," she asked in her somber, no-nonsense tone.

"I. . . I thought after all she has done to us along with Cora it would be better if I stayed away from her. And dad said it would probably be a good idea seeing that Rumpelstiltskin is my Grandfather and how she just tried to kill him."

"Goddamnit!" Emma had always made a conscious effort to avoid cursing in front of Henry and the fact that she was doing just that proved that she was absolutely livid. "Tell me Henry, do you really hold your mother in such high regards? Does that woman who fed you, taught you to talk and walk, took care of you when you were ill, heck took care of you period, when your real mother gave you away, really deserve this kind of behaviour?"

"But. . . but she's evil . We gave her a chance to change. A lot of good that did."

"Henry, she loves you. Has she ever given an inkling that she wanted to hurt you? Everything she has done after the curse was for you. Maybe her activities were a little misguided at times, but she never wanted to loose you. And now when she needs you the most, you up and abandon her."

"But dad said. . . ."

"Don't," Emma warned through gritted teeth. "He's a chicken of a man and he has no say in your life. His blood might run in your veins, but every bit of the person you are is because of Regina."

"No, she is evil. I am good because I am your son."

Emma smiled. She was getting weary of Henry's black and white perspective. "As you so helpfuly pointed out just a moment ago, you are also the grandson of The Dark One. It's because of Regina's upbringing that you are 'good'. Definitely not because of your birth, son. And if you can't see that, it's really a shame. You need to change your mentality before you loose the best thing in your life."

"Why are you defending her all of a sudden?" He questioned her arrogantly.

The saviour thought on that for a moment. Why indeed. Why now? "Maybe I am changing myself," she offered.

Henry quitened after that, seemingly in deep thought. They finished their breakfast without further conversation and then quitely left the diner.

* * *

Regina was reading 'A Mid Summer Night's Dream' in her study when she heard the doorbell ring. And by the timing of the visitor, she had a pretty good idea who it might be.

On opening the door, she was met by the grinning face of one very happy Sheriff.

"Suprise!" Emma greeted.

"I assure you, Emma, it wasn't." She glanced down and noticed the bouquet that Emma was holding. The arrangement similar to previous day's. "I see you bought me flowers. Again."

"Ooh, cocky aren't we. How do you know these aren't for someone else?" Emma teased with a smirk.

Regina in her trade mark raised eyebrow. "Aren't they? Well then Emma, I suggest you go and give it to the person you bought them for before they wilt."

The blonde's smirk faultered and them stretched into a sheepish grin.

"I walked right into that didn't I?" She handed the bouquet to Regina. "Actually, I wanted to tell you in person that I had really good time today." And before the former mayor could make any comment, she leaned over and lightly kissed the startled woman on the cheek. € " Kay, Regina see ya later. I need to get back to my midday patrol."

Regina watched the Sheriff jog away and then gently traced the kiss on her cheeks with her fingertips. Even though the kiss was as chaste as it goes, it felt strangely warm and sensual.  
'

It's been too long,' she theorized. And indeed it had been more than an year since Graham died. Regina hadn't bothered with anyone else after that. She hadn't the time. She shook her head and headed inside. € Replacing the previous day's bouquet with the fresh one, the former mayor consciously checked for a note. She found it.

**So tomorrow at 7?**

**:) **

** Love, E**

At the other side of the street pale eyes watched the entire tableau from the shadows. A cell phone was flipped open and a call was made.  
"There has been a development regarding our target. . . . ."

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Thank for the suggestions guys. :)**


End file.
